Opening Day Eve, Gimenez Understands and Could Return Soon, and Other Bullets

March 28, 2018, by Brett Taylor Chicago Cubs

As a fan, I’m barely-containable-giddy about the return of regular season baseball tomorrow. It was a fun offseason in a lot of ways, but also a tedious one in a lot of ways. I’m ready for baseball to be back.

As a writer/editor, I’m nervous about the return of regular season baseball tomorrow! You get into a certain rhythm each offseason (some of you make fun of how rhythmic it becomes sometimes, but it works for us), and then the regular season comes along and completely changes the complexion of your workday. Every year, it takes me weeks to adjust. Which is not a complaint, mind you, because I love doing it. It’s just that it takes time to get back into that rhythm, and every year I’m nervous on this day that I won’t do a good job rapidly doing well here the things you want to see.

Until tomorrow, my friends …

Chris Gimenez says the Cubs simply wanted to give Victor Caratini a look as the backup in the big leagues because he’s ready, and Gimenez understands that (Sun-Times). It also sounds like he’s staying ready for a quick return to the big leagues if there aren’t enough at bats/development opportunities for Caratini. Either way, I’d definitely bet on Gimenez coming up to the big league team at some point before his June 1 opt out date. Statistically speaking, that just seems to happen each year at the position. Guys get dinged up. Heck, the Cubs’ plan all along might be something like: Caratini up for the first month or two, gets some big league experience, then heads back to Iowa in favor of Gimenez in late May. Gimenez is then the backup for June, July, and August, and then the minor league season ends, rosters expand to the 40-man, and Caratini comes back up for September. He gets three big league months, three minor league months, and the Cubs get the benefit of having three catchers available for most of the year in one way or another (without having to worry about Gimenez and waivers, and without actually having to carry three catchers on the 25-man roster).
I love this read at the Tribune on Anthony Rizzo. It’s something of a profile on his time coming up, and the kind of player he is and wants to be. I can’t tell just how serious he is, but the most fun inclusion is that he – like so many of his teammates – wants to be a little more versatile defensively. Hey, why not? He already demonstrated himself as one of the best defensive third basemen in the game.
Sounds like the final estimate on offseason weight loss for Kyle Schwarber was a whopping 30 pounds (Tribune). Given what we’ve seen, that’s not a shocking number (even if it’s a ton for a single offseason).
The Cubs had a little side session in Florida the last couple days, playing the Red Sox and gearing up for the real thing in Miami, starting tomorrow:

Goodbye, #SpringTraining.

Hello, Miami. #EverybodyIn pic.twitter.com/0TpkaWGpiI

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 28, 2018

Why MLB’s lobbying efforts to ensure minor league players cannot be covered by federal wage laws is so disheartening:

I was interested in exactly how much a minor leaguer might make over the course of a year. And how many hours the ‘seasonal apprentices’ worked on baseball stuff. So I asked @esim3400 and he was kind enough to tell me all. https://t.co/LYhnsuhcL9

— Eno Sarris (@enosarris) March 27, 2018

If you still don't get why minor league pay is a disgusting enterprise, you must read this piece by @enosarris with input from former minor leaguer @esim3400 – https://t.co/OXUl1txvij

Just one galling example about which MLB should be deeply ashamed: pic.twitter.com/1YEQUoJM7T

— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) March 28, 2018

Just 19, with his dad watching, wearing his dad’s number, and in the stadium where his dad made a name for himself. C’est parfait:

Does Baseball Get More Perfect? Vlad Guerrero Jr. Just Hit a Walk-Off Homer … in Montreal https://t.co/WKahJVu74n pic.twitter.com/XvcPI54bK7

— Baseball is Fun (@flippingbats) March 28, 2018